A Season to Celebrate Read online

The snow had melted on the road, turning the ruts into muddy tracks, making her thankful they had four-wheel drive if needed. “Are you sure this is the right place?”

  “Aye,” he said, ducking so he could peer below the sun visor. “Pretty sure at any rate.”

  “It’s a good thing my parents don’t know about you yet,” she joked. “They’d for sure think I’d run off with an ax murderer, and this is the proof right here.”

  Hudson chuckled. “I’ve met your parents. I’ve fed your parents. I think when it comes to getting them to accept me, we have them right where we want them.”

  She giggled at that. “You may have a point there. Oh!” She said that last part on a gasp as they drove beyond the thick stand of trees into a little clearing. And right there in front of them was an old—a very, very old—badly faded, red caboose. “Would you look at that.”

  She heard Hudson sigh and his grip on her hand tightened. “Crikey,” he said. “You big, red beauty, you,” he breathed. “You might want me to just stay in the truck altogether, love.”

  Moira looked from the beaten down, falling apart train car to a starry-eyed Hudson, then back at the caboose. “You might have a point,” she said on a laugh.

  “If you can get him to lower his price by a few thousand—”

  “Thousand?” Moira’s eyebrows climbed upward. “Oh, honey, I can do better than that.” She opened her door and carefully slid out of the car, stepping over the mud and into the snow, which only came a few inches up the side of her winter boots. She glanced back into the Range Rover. “When do you want to take delivery?”

  Hudson tore his gaze away from the caboose and looked at her. “Can we hitch her to the back of the truck?”

  “Oh, boy,” Moira said under her breath, but winked at him and said, “Now who’s the adorable nerd?” She motioned to the older man in a pair of oil-stained overalls who was standing beside the caboose, a very happy look on his face. Clearly, he’d seen Hudson’s reaction. “Is that who I talk to?”

  “Otto Trent,” Hudson said. “He owns the place.”

  “The place” was a junkyard, for all intents and purposes. Heaps and piles of old junkers, farm equipment, and what even looked like part of an old carnival ride were stacked up all around the open lot. A small, white clapboard building with a sign that said OTTO’S JUNKERS AND PARTS appeared to be the office, but the older man lifted his hand in a wave, so Moira turned his way. He frowned a bit when he realized he’d be talking to her and not Hudson. Moira smiled and looked back at Hudson and said, “Yes, definitely stay in the truck.”

  “Why not,” he said. He grinned, she laughed, and as she walked across the lot, pulling out her phone to take photos of the caboose before saying a word to Otto, she could have sworn she heard Hudson say, “You are my volleyball player, Moira Brogan. I sure hope like hell you decide I’m your pub owner.”

  Hearing that didn’t scare her, or make her nervous. It made her grin and want to do a little dance, right there in the mud and the snow. She realized it was because, after months of self-doubt and worry, of sleepless nights, and no idea how to plan what came next . . . she was happy. Well and truly happy. She had no idea if her future plans would work out. What she did know was that she was happy with who she was, where she was, and whom she was with. And that was a pretty good place to start. “My God, he’s already rubbing off on me,” she said under her breath, and her smile grew bigger still. Why not?

  With a little extra oomph in her step, she proceeded to negotiate a deal for the caboose that would make Hudson the happiest man east of the Mississippi, while still putting a little bit more money in Otto’s pocket than the thing was worth.

  She walked back to the Range Rover twenty minutes later, beaming with triumph. The moment Hudson could see her face, he grinned and blew her an extravagant kiss, laughing as she pretended to stagger back under its impact. Then he was out of the Range Rover and covering the distance between them, a determined grin on his face. She had no idea what he was about now, but she couldn’t wait to find out what was in store for them next.

  “Dear Ma and Dad,” she whispered under her breath. “The funniest thing happened to me after you left. I think I met your future son-in-law.”

  Epilogue

  Five months, three weeks, and two days later, Hudson opened the passenger door of his Range Rover and carefully helped a blindfolded Moira down from her seat. “Almost there,” he said.

  Moira was grinning, then laughed as she almost ran into him when he stopped a few feet away from the truck. “As a seeing eye dog, you need a little work,” she said.

  “Oh, but the blind shall see again in a moment.” He took her by the shoulders and turned her so she was facing a spot a little to her left. Then he moved behind her, and slowly slipped off the blindfold. He leaned down and whispered, “Happy new life to you, Moira Brogan.”

  She opened her eyes and gasped. “Oh, Hud! Would you look at her now.”

  New life had been breathed into the old caboose. Completely restored, freshly painted, she sat on her personal piece of recovered track like a happy little spot of sunshine in the warm, spring mountain air.

  Moira turned into Hudson’s arms. “You did it! She’s perfect. Now can you explain the secrecy? Are you not going to bring her up and connect her to our two cars?”

  “I’ve got another idea for that,” he said, surprising her.

  It had ended up taking several months for Moira to make the final move to Blue Hollow Falls. She’d taken the California bar exam again in February, just to prove to herself that she could do it. And she’d passed. Then she’d started work on getting accepted to the bar in Virginia. There’d been another exam to take, but not as involved, nor nearly as challenging, as the one out west.

  It was true that her parents had met Hudson at the wedding, but he’d flown to Seattle to meet and charm and feed every last aunt, uncle, and cousin, assuring them he’d be taking very good care of their lass. That Moira’s big brother was Hudson’s good friend, and would also be keeping an eye on things by virtue of being their neighbor, had helped to sway the few remaining relatives who’d been holding out in hopes of her returning to Seattle for good.

  Seth and Pippa had returned from their Irish honeymoon, thrilled at the news that Moira was moving to the mountains. Seth might have been a teensy-tinesy bit smug, seeing as how he’d been the one to put Hudson directly in her path. And maybe that hadn’t been by accident.

  While Moira was busy working out the details of being able to practice law in her new mountain home, she’d also figured out just what kind of law she wanted to practice. She’d decided to hang out her own shingle, work for the folks of Blue Hollow Falls and Turtle Springs, and whoever else needed her help. She’d make sure folks who didn’t have a lot were well represented, and folks who could afford to keep her on retainer, well, they were welcome, too. It wouldn’t earn her a high dollar income, but the very first time she went before the judge in Turtle Springs and got Drake his fiddle back, she knew she’d been right that the rewards weren’t all about financial compensation.

  Of course, that was a might bit easier to say given that during the many months of transition time, she’d had the wonderful benefit of living on board Hudson’s train car home, being fed the most wondrous meals, and best of all, without having a regular day job to keep her occupied, they’d had all the time they needed to finish falling deeply, irrevocably, and quite madly in love.

  And now she was standing in the tiny town proper of Blue Hollow Falls, on a small plot of land across from the local library, and just down the street from the county courthouse, waiting to see what was about to happen next. On the plot of land was a single length of recovered and restored train track and the red caboose she’d negotiated into their lives so many months ago, just a few days after Christmas.

  “What is it doing down here?”

  Hudson took her hand. “Come with me and I’ll show you.”

  They crossed the neatly manicure
d grassy lot, and she noted that someone had planted a row of shrubs and a few blooming azaleas around the steps leading up to what had been the rear of the caboose. It was a lot bigger up close than one would think, and somehow looked bigger still, all dolled up and polished to a bright gleam.

  “After you,” he said, gesturing for her to enter first.

  She opened the door, and stopped dead right in the open doorway. “Oh, Hudson.” The interior had been transformed into what looked like a little office. There was a tiny reception area to the left, with a few restored chairs and a short bench seat. To the right was a desk built out in an L-shape from the wall, with a small set of file drawers propping up the other end. The windows on both sides let in plenty of sunshine, making the space feel bigger than it was. Beyond the front area was a door leading to the back of the caboose.

  “Go on,” Hudson urged, and she could hear the smile in his voice, but couldn’t take her eyes off the amazing transformation long enough to glance back to confirm it.

  It only took a few strides to cross the reception area. She opened the black enamel door and was stunned for a second time that day.

  “If it’s not to your taste—” Hudson began, but she’d already spun around and wrapped her arms around his neck.

  “You’re giving her to me? Are you sure?”

  “If I ever had a single doubt, and I didn’t, the look on your face just now would have taken care of it. Every part of this was my pleasure.”

  “But . . . when did you decide—what if we didn’t—you’d have given up—”

  He stopped her rush of words with a kiss. Then another one. Then she turned to look at the stunning little law office Hudson had created for her, and turned right back and kissed him again.

  The space was small, but the clever planning allowed room to fit everything necessary for her to launch her law business in style. “I can’t believe you did all this.” She took in the beautifully restored desk, with two small padded chairs sitting on the opposite side for her clients. There was a full wall of shelves behind the desk, and more filling the space on either side of the door. A neatly tucked away printer and fax machine sat on a small stand to the right. There was even a small coffeepot and microwave.

  “I did close in the open back end of the caboose so you wouldn’t have to go across the street to the library to use the bathroom. I know it changes the look from the outside, and it’s tiny, but I think—”

  “It’s perfect,” she said, her eyes glistening. “You’re perfect.”

  “Well, I needed to make sure I was living up to our stage-three motto.”

  She laughed. “You’ve far surpassed that.”

  “Martin Collier, the woodcarver at the mill, will make you whatever shingle you want to hang out front. Tanzy will work with him to do up a wrought iron stand to hang it from.”

  “Hudson, I can’t let you—”

  “Well, it appears that Martin and Tanzy need help combining their two businesses together.” He smiled. “Looks like we’re not the only new couple in the Falls. I said you might be able to find the time to look over their paperwork and tell them what they need to do. They’ll pay you, of course, if they need any actual legal work done, but—”

  “Of course I will. I’ll be more than happy to.” She turned and looked around the place again. “I just . . . I can’t believe it.”

  He turned her around, back into his arms. “There is one more thing. I planned to do this over dinner, after I’d lulled you into a food coma, lowered all your defenses.”

  “What more could you possibly do beyond—oh!” Her hand flew to cover her mouth when he slowly bent down on one knee. “Hudson, are you sure?”

  He simply looked up at her and smiled, all the love, affection, and the amusement she seemed to effortlessly spark in him right there for her to see. “Are you?” he asked.

  She nodded, and the tears that had threatened to flow upon seeing the overwhelming gift of her very own law office spilled over as she saw everything she’d banked her hopes and dreams on, everything both of them had worked so very hard to achieve, coming true for them.

  “Moira Aileen Brogan,” he began, “you came into my life in a swirl of green silk and flying fists.” He grinned. “And it only got more entertaining from there.” He reached for her hands and covered them with his own. “I’ve watched you grapple with disappointment and fight like a warrior when your path finally became clear. You’ve made me realize that some things in life are worth making happen, and not just taking them as they come. Your spirit and fortitude, and your unwavering sense of humor throughout, have been a constant inspiration to me. You’ve been true to yourself, going back for that bar exam, making endless lists, charts, and grids mapping out every detail of your big transition to the East Coast, to join my world, to join me. And you’ve done the hardest thing, too, throwing caution to the wind to give a bloke like me a chance, and giving me your heart. Thank you for trusting me with it. I promise I won’t ever forsake you.”

  Moira dabbed at her tears and sank to her own knees, holding their joined hands between them. “Hudson Laramie Walker,” she said, noting his surprise that she’d learned his middle name. She wiggled her eyebrows, making him laugh. “I’m a very good researcher,” she said by way of explanation; then she grew serious. “You’ve been . . . well, everything. My sounding board, my rational thinker, my biggest champion, my fiercest defender. You’ve become my very best friend, who turned out to also be my beautiful lover. You’ve housed me, fed me, and loved me like I never thought was possible. We truly are in this together. Partners, lovers, friends. If we’re about to do what I think we are, I want us to do that together, too.”

  His eyes might have been a wee bit glassy, too, but they were both smiling now as he pulled her into his arms. “We haven’t done any other part of this relationship thing the conventional way,” he said, “so, I couldn’t agree more.”

  He cupped her face in one palm and she did the same to him.

  “Ready?” he asked.

  She nodded, and they both said, “Will you marry me?” at the same time.

  “Try and stop me,” he said at the same time she said, “I thought you’d never ask.”

  They both laughed, then kissed, then laughed again as Hudson fell over backward and took her with him.

  “I do have one request,” he said, still sprawled on his back, with her on top of him.

  “Name it.”

  “Well, we’ve a wedding to plan now. I think you’ll agree, there’s really only one choice for the perfect date for our wedding.”

  She looked confused for a moment. Then her mouth dropped open. “No. You can’t honestly mean—”

  “You have to admit, love, it’s pretty much a must do.”

  “I . . . can’t believe I’m saying this, but I think you’re right,” she said, shaking her head in disbelief.

  “And unless you have your heart set on wearing white, you have this green silk number I’m a pretty big fan of. It doesn’t have to be a big production—”

  “You have met my family,” she said dryly.

  “Right. True.”

  “And I am the last Brogan to tie the knot, so hold on to your horses there. How about we make a deal. Christmas wedding, I wear white, we cut loose and throw a real shindig for the whole clan.” She leaned down and kissed him. “Then we come back home, and I’ll wear the green dress. A candlelit dinner for two, and a dance in front of the fireplace.” She grinned. “I’ll even sleep in it and leave my makeup on and you can fix me breakfast the next morning.”

  “Yeah,” he said, and smiling, he rolled her to her back. “I don’t think that’s going to be possible, but I like the way you think.”

  “Why won’t it be possible?”

  “We won’t be home the next morning.”

  “No? Where will we be?”

  “On a plane to Australia?”

  Her eyes widened in stunned pleasure. “Are you sure?”

  “You’v
e introduced me to your family, shown me your hometown. I want you to meet the people I consider to be my family, show you where I grew up.”

  “Yes,” she said, and reached up to kiss him. “To all of it, yes.”

  * * *

  Six months, one week, and two days later, they said their I do’s at her brother’s winery in front of a soaring Christmas tree. Moira surprised Hudson by wearing that green dress, all the way down the aisle and into his arms.

  Christmas weddings. “Thank goodness no one passed that law,” she whispered, as her brand-new husband finally kissed his bride.

  Holiday Home Run

  PRISCILLA OLIVERAS

  Chapter One

  “He’s here! He’s, like, in the building !!!”

  Julia Fernandez winced at the squeal of hysteria that punctuated her coworker’s announcement as the college coed pushed open the glass conference room door.

  At the impressionable age of twenty, Carol Prescott practically vibrated with excitement, her gray eyes wide with elation. Her normally pale complexion was flushed from a combination of her race down the office hallway and the reality of finally meeting the “man of the hour.”

  At least, that’s how many of the gala committee members often referred to Benjamin Thomas.

  The former big league baseball player had agreed to serve as the Holiday Soiree’s emcee for the third year in a row. Much to everyone else’s relief.

  While this was Julia’s first year on the committee—the first of many, she hoped—for years she’d seen Ben giving interviews on one sports TV channel or another. Over the past couple of months working with the committee, she’d heard rave reviews about Ben’s ease in front of a live audience. Not to mention his charismatic, friendly personality and chiseled good looks that enticed donors to give a little more for a worthy cause like the Chicago Youth Association.

  In fact, with him at the mic, the soiree had raised record amounts for area youth centers.

  Julia might not have been living in Chicago during those events, but she’d done her homework. Had spent countless hours researching the organization and its past fund-raisers. In fact, she’d studied several other organizations along with multiple event-planning companies in the Chicago area in the last six months. All with an eye on making the move from Puerto Rico.